MPAA reports that 2007 saw one of the highest grossing years for the motion picture industry

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) relentlessly
bombards the public with copyright and piracy information. It
plagued the news media for years with tireless finger pointing; even
its own website is
dedicated to giving the public information on copyright laws and
piracy. Different sections, such as Movie Thieves, offer
information on who the criminals are and asks individuals to help in
their “fight to stop movie thieves!”

The confusing part is the link in the “Latest News” section
that claims an all-time
high in domestic and global box office sales. The global
market grew 4.9% to $26.6 billion, claims the MPAA, and the U.S.
domestic market grew roughly 5.4%, passing the $9.6 billion mark.

“From the threat and eventual reality
of a writer’s strike to the global impact of film theft to concerns
over the economy, the film industry faced significant challenges in
2007,” stated Dan Glickman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
the MPAA. “But, ultimately, we got our Hollywood ending. Once
again, diverse, quality films and the timeless allure of the movie
house proved a winning combination with consumers around the world.”

It is surprising to see the MPAA claim
that the motion picture industry is taking a beating from piracy when
their own data shows that the market is producing better than before.
This is not to say, however, that piracy doesn't have an effect on
the film industry.

According to a study done by the
Institute for Public Innovation, motion
picture piracy costs the U.S. economy about $20.5 billion annually
which includes revenue and “related measures of economic
performance”. The related measure includes loss of jobs,
decrease in earning for workers, and the U.S. governments loss of tax
revenue. The study claims that film industry would have added a
little over 45,000 new jobs.

Even though the film industry is taking
some large hits from piracy, you can rest a little easier knowing
that the industry is still raking in quite a sum of cash.

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"They"? You seem to think all that $42B/year goes to a couple cigar-smoking bald guys with Jewish surnames. Ever watch a movie? It may only star two people and have a cast of 30, but the credits will include 300_ people.

Guess what? All those people got PAID. In fact, the movie industry employs several hundred thousand people, and also pays a huge amount of state, local, and federal taxes. It also spends the majority of its receipts on advertsing, marketing, and other areas, indirectly supporting many more industries. Without the movie industry, the State of California would be bankrupt in a heartbeat.

"They" is really "Us". Intellectual property, of which movies are one part, are now one the nation's most important exports. When someone in China or Germany pirates a Hollywood movie, it hurts all Americans. I'm surprised you can't see that.

> "so you're saying every american makes money from the movie industry?"

When they pay billions in taxes, and employ several hundred thousand Americans, all of whom also pay taxes and use their salary to buy American goods-- yes, of course we all make money from that industry. That's the entire point.

It's even more than that. What in the world do you think makes a strong US dollar? Do you think exchange rates are just set by someone rolling a dice somewhere? The underlying basis is how much US goods, services, and investments are purchased overseas, versus how much we buy in

So when little Johnny pirates a movie, and spends that $20 instead on a Chinese toy, yes it indeed hurts all Americans. When little Sven or little Yang Mi does the same, its hurts even more.

You can complain copyright restrictions have gotten out of hand, and you'll have a point. But trying to deny that piracy of US intellectual property doesn't hurt US citizens is just blind foolishness.